OTHERS SAY

Keep presence in Arctic

— Changing environmental and political conditions in the Arctic reinforce the need for the U.S. Coast Guard to have the equipment and vessels appropriate to the hazardous conditions.

U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., joined forces to secure passage of a Coast Guard authorization bill that maintains the nation’s capacity to deploy icebreakers to represent U.S. interests.

Melting polar ice caps are creating a new commercial and political dynamic, with the prospects of greater Arctic access as a trade route.

Currently, the Coast Guard has one operational icebreaker, the Healy, a medium icebreaker primarily equipped for scientific research. The Coast Guard’s only heavy icebreaker, the Polar Star, is near completion of an extensive overhaul at Vigor Industrial shipyard in Seattle.

Cantwell cites a Coast Guard study that concluded that six heavy-duty icebreakers and four medium icebreakers are needed to help meet Coast Guard and U.S. Navy mission requirements. The country is nowhere close. A new vessel can push $1 billion and take a decade to build.

Icebreakers represent a practical investment in the nation’s security and commercial interests.

Editorial, Pages 10 on 01/01/2013

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